Ruffed Lemur
A black and white ruffed lemur climbs a tree in Madagascar’s Mantadia National Park. Their ability to thrive in captivity makes them ideal candidates for reintroduction into protected habitats.
12 extraordinary pictures show animals headed for extinction
There are thousands of species that may not be around for long.
The term “endangered species” usually brings to mind charismatic animals—fluffy pandas and majestic tigers. But there are thousands of lesser-known species that are in greater danger of disappearing.
These animals, categorized as “critically endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), face what the organization calls "an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.”
Two big threats are driving these animals toward extinction: habitat loss and poaching.
Here are pictures of 12 endangered species around the world, taken from National Geographic’s archive.
